📝 The Last Line — Manuscript Complete
For three hours, Ruhi stared at the final paragraph of their book.
She read it.Deleted it.Wrote it again.
Rudra walked in, towel around his neck, fresh from coaching practice.
"You still stuck?" he asked gently.
She nodded. "It's the last line. It has to mean something. It has to feel like us."
Rudra sat beside her, took her hand, and whispered:
"Then write what we always come back to.
Not how we started.But why we never stopped."
That night, she wrote:
*"And even after the final buzzer,
we still chose each other.
Every single time."*
They hit SEND.
The manuscript was done.
🎉 Celebration — Not Fancy, But Theirs
Instead of a big dinner or night out, they ordered momos from their favorite street stall, brought out cheap soda, and danced barefoot in their living room to an old Bollywood love song.
Rudra twirled her.
Ruhi stumbled into his arms, laughing.
"Who needs a ballroom?" she said.
He kissed her forehead.
"You are my dance floor."
📓 Beyond the Buzzer – Page 208
*"Books end with punctuation.
But love — love is a run-on sentence.
Unedited. Unapologetic. Alive."*
🌟 Simran's Shocking Nomination
The next morning, Simran burst into their apartment — breathless and glowing.
"I made it," she blurted.
Ruhi blinked. "Made what?"
"The National Writers' Fellowship! I'm one of the top five selected!"
Ruhi screamed. Rudra nearly dropped his coffee.
Simran held up the acceptance email.
"They called my story 'emotionally necessary for modern India.' Can you believe that?"
They pulled her into a hug.
"You deserve every word of it," Ruhi said.
Simran's eyes watered. "It's happening. All of it. Finally."
🧠 Aarav's New Mission
Meanwhile, Aarav received a call from a nonprofit foundation.
They were building a sports writing program for underprivileged students — and they wanted him to lead it.
"I don't have a degree in teaching," he said on the call.
"But you have the heart for it," the woman replied.
That night, he told Rudra.
Rudra grinned."You went from a coach with a whistle… to a mentor with a pen."
Aarav smirked."Still yelling. Just with metaphors now."
🏥 A Sudden Pause — Health Scare
It was supposed to be just a mild cough.
Ruhi had been ignoring it for days. "Probably the weather," she said.
But one morning, she fainted while watering the plants.
Rudra caught her just in time.
They rushed to the hospital.
After hours of tests, the doctor came out with a calm smile.
"It's nothing critical. Just severe exhaustion and stress.
She needs rest. Real rest. Not editing-books-while-lying-down kind of rest."
Ruhi felt embarrassed.
But Rudra held her hand tighter.
"I'd rather miss one deadline… than miss you."
☀️ Recovery and Realization
The next few days were slow.
No laptop. No emails.Just naps, soft meals, and long evening walks.
Ruhi sat on the terrace one night, head on Rudra's shoulder.
"I forgot I was human," she murmured.
"We all do," he said. "Until our bodies remind us."
She looked up at him.
"I want balance. Not burnout."
He nodded. "Then let's build that into every chapter from now."
🎁 A Gift from the Publisher
Two weeks later, a parcel arrived at their door.
Inside — a leather-bound advance copy of their book.
Beyond the BuzzerBy Ruhi Verma & Rudra Sharma
Ruhi held it like it was glass.
Rudra turned the pages slowly, reverently.
On the dedication page, it read:
*For those who loved in silence.For those who screamed it in crowds.
And for those who are still figuring it out —
This is for you.*
📸 First Book Photo
Ruhi sitting with the book on her lap, holding Rudra's hand
Rudra looking at her instead of the camera
Behind them: a fairy-lit wall and a now-bushy Chintu the plant
Caption:
"Not just a story.Our story.Beyond buzzer, beyond words."
💫 End of Chapter 48